NEW YORK -- Before the puck drops every night at Madison Square Garden, the fans hear a phrase so simple and yet so important to the men on the ice wearing blue.

"I am a Ranger."

As the franchise kicked off a week of celebrations for its 85th anniversary Friday night, players past and present reflected on what that statement meant to them as they gathered at the NHL Powered by Reebok Store on New York's Sixth Avenue and at the ice rink in Rockefeller Center a few blocks north to get the organization's birthday party underway. The highlight of Friday night's event was the unveiling and release of the Rangers' new Heritage Jersey, which will be worn for the first time when Original Six rival Boston comes to Madison Square Garden on Nov. 17.

As crowds bedecked in blueshirts packed both events, Rangers memorabilia on loan from the Hockey Hall of Fame, as well as game-used jerseys dating back more than six decades lined the walls, and the impact was not lost on the players who currently call the Garden home.

TORONTO – Minnesota Wild defenseman Brent Burns has been suspended for two games, without pay, for careless use of his stick in an incident with Florida Panthers' player Steve Bernier at the conclusion of NHL game #230 on November 12, 2010.

Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and based on his average annual salary, Burns will forfeit $38,172.04. The money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.

Burns will miss games Nov. 14 at Tampa Bay and Nov. 17 against Anaheim. He is eligible to return Nov. 19 at Detroit.

Friday, November 12, 2010

NEW YORK -- Starting November 15, fans around the world can vote for their top six All-Stars in the 2011 NHL All-Star Fan Balloting. For the fourth straight NHL® All-Star Game, the balloting process is entirely digital, offering sports' most tech-savvy fans the ability to vote as often as they like via mobile devices and online at NHL.com/vote. In addition, fans this season can vote on Facebook (facebook.com/NHL), as the NHL All-Star fan voting process comes to the social networking platform for the first time.

Through Jan. 3, NHL fans will be able to select up to six players by position -- three forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender – without regard to the Conference in which their teams play for in the 2011 NHL All-Star Game presented by Discover in Raleigh, N.C. As part of a new format for the 2011 NHL All-Star Game presented by Discover, the three forwards, two defensemen and goalie with the most votes will be named first NHL All-Stars.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Fifteen games into the season, the Coyotes still haven't found a way to string two wins together.

Now, they will have a new look on the blue line as they face their latest opportunity to get moving in the right direction -- against the Calgary Flames Friday night in the first of back-to-back home games this weekend.

Before Friday's game, the Coyotes sent rookie defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson down to San Antonio of the American Hockey League after his impressive early play tailed off. The No. 6 pick in 2009, Ekman-Larsson has 3 assists in 14 games, but has struggled mightily in the past three games -- taking overtime penalties in losses to Pittsburgh and Detroit and he was also beaten for the winning goal by Henrik Zetterberg of the Red Wings.

The Washington Capitals lead the NHL with 12 wins -- not surprising for a team that won the Presidents' Trophy last season. Unlike a year ago, however, they're doing it the hard way.

Over the course of the season, teams that score first win about 65 percent of the time. But the Caps are doing it backwards -- they've got 12 victories despite being scored on first 12 times in their 16 games, including Thursday's 6-3 victory against Tampa Bay. Washington is 9-3-0 when allowing the first goal, a pace that history says will be impossible to sustain.

It's a big contrast from last season, when the Capitals were second in the NHL with 52 first goals (Chicago was tops with 56) and had a 38-7-7 record in those games. They won 16 of the 30 games in which they allowed the first goal -- the only team in the NHL with a winning percentage of .500 or better when doing so.